On March 25th 2018, over 200K people gathered in Washington DC in support of March For Our Lives: the youth movement challenging politicians and the electorate to action. Action to change gun laws in the United States. Below are a few of the faces from that march.

Independent filmmakers are by nature creative, tenacious and passionate. They embody all of the elements of craft, hard work and dedication that have inspired me to photograph and explore workers from all walks of life. I present here a selection of the passionate independent filmmakers featured at the 2017 San Diego International Film Festival.

"What you are about to see is not just based on a true story, it's based on my story." The most chilling line I've heard delivered in a trailer in years. There was a lot of chatter surrounding Frida's film - must see, couldn't watch it, too intense. I wasn't sure what to expect when she arrived for her portrait. She was engaging and absolutely delightful. Her film is intense and worthy of the San Diego International Film Festival's 2017 Break Out Feature Film of the Year.

Domenico leaps from the screen. The story is original and well played. Both he and Lee were thoroughly engaging during their portrait session, bringing the same high level of energy and humor they did to the film. Ben Fatto!

I’ve been in DC a couple of times this year. I love the city. There’s an intensity there. The politics, obviously. The young go-getters. The hustle. Even the weather. But there’s also a calm serenity grounded in the throngs of tourists who slow the pace to their own agenda. Set to a backdrop of intense security, these groups commingle and collide daily among our national treasures.

Warning: The following post contains a couple of images that some may find graphic.

Chicken Harvest: what does that even mean? When I embarked on the Who’s Your Farmer project I was told if I wanted to understand how natural, free range chickens get from pasture to table, I needed to experience the chicken harvest. The word harvest threw me. I’d seen crops harvested, but not animals. Naturally I was curious, so off I went to Autonomy Farms in California’s Central Valley to learn how chickens get from farm to market.

A side note: I’m not a big meat eater. In fact I don’t eat beef or pork. There’s no religious or moral reason. It started as one of those things you try when you're young, like vegetarianism or Buddhism, and it stuck. It’s been years now. I’ve had a sampling or 2 over the years, even a steak recently (that’s a whole other story from the ranch…). One of my “rationales” to not eat red meat or pork has been that I should be willing to kill anything I was going to eat. As my reasoning went, I would never be able to kill a cow or a pig but I felt pretty confident I could kill a chicken. Of course, I’d never been in a position to kill a cow, or a pig, or even a chicken, so this was all completely theoretical. I honestly didn’t know how I would kill this imaginary chicken. Perhaps I would have to wring it’s neck? Well that’s not how they do it on the farm…..

Harvesting chickens is a bit gruesome for this city slicker.

But the process is actually quite simple: catch chicken, slit throat, bleed it out, (that’s the gruesome part), blanch in boiling water to loosen quills, drop in plucker machine, remove feet, head, and innards, package it up for market.

That’s about it - most of the harvest is nothing I haven’t done myself, in my own kitchen.

And there’s an air of respect for the birds here. Sure, they’re being raised for human consumption, but there’s nothing excessive about it. Most parts are harvested, including the organs and feet. The chickens look like chickens. Autonomy Farms is proud of their birds. They don’t have over inflated breasts. They run around the farm freely. And they actually taste like chicken, not the artificially plump, overly brined meat we’re so used to today.

So could I kill a chicken? I think yes, but it wouldn’t be as easy as I had rationalized…..

Butchering a whole animal is an artful skill. I worked at a restaurant in New Orleans years ago. It had it’s own butcher in house. It’s still one of the only restaurants I’ve know to have it’s own in house butcher. I remember being in awe of how quickly and efficiently he could break down an animal, dress a hen, filet a fish. He taught me to filet fish without gutting the animal - simply following the bone line down the back to remove the filet from each side of the fish. It seemed like magic, and so simple, when I finally learned to do it right.

Butchering an animal can be violent and strenuous. There is a lot of finesse to breaking down an animal. It’s pretty remarkable to witness. The butcher knows the lines, muscles, and bones of the animal intimately. Sides of beef can weigh several hundred pounds. Moving these beasts around takes strength. And not every cut is intricate. There are also the saws, and the large cuts, where brute strength is required.

Grocery store “butchers” are not in fact butchers. They are meat cutters. A butcher has the ability and skill to break down an entire animal. He has to know the animal. He has to know the bone structure, the muscle structure. So called grocery store butchers receive select sections of an animal and cut them down to serving size filets. They do not require the skill to break down a whole animal.

There is virtually no waste in the shop. It strikes me as a Native American approach to food. When the shop receives a side of beef they’ll break down all the regular cuts, the tenderloin, the ribs, etc. What’s not used for the case or primary cuts is used for in house deli meats, sausages, bacon, and stock. There is very little waste of the animal. And there are no preservatives or chemicals. It’s a very wholistic approach to animal consumption.

Local butchers know their suppliers and know where the meat they sell comes from. They’ve often toured the farms and ranches that supply their meat and have personal relationships with the farmers and ranchers. They get the best quality meats because it’s their product, their reputation on the line. They have their hands on every animal that makes it’s way through the case. If it’s not up to par, they’ll know it before you do.

The prices are still high. You pay a premium for hormone free, chemical free, non GMO and grass fed. There’s no way around it, yet. The industry is set up for cheaper and faster production, delivery and consumption: the CostCo / Walmart approach. The tide is slowly turning. Consumers are making their voices heard by seeking out organic and chemical free options. We have a long way to go and price is still a huge component of the equation. The more consumers opt out of hormone and chemical fed meats the more the scales will tip.

We need to support those that bring these great products to market. Thanks to Heart & Trotter for opening their shop to me and teaching me more about whole animal butchery. James Holster is the head butcher. Stop by and say hello next time you’re in North Park.

Who’s your farmer? Simple question, right? Not really….. I don’t know where 99% of the food I consume comes from. I mean, where it really comes from... So what does that mean for me? My family? The world?

I’ve embarked on a project exploring sustainable food - popularly know as Locally Sourced, Farm to Table or just plain Organic. For me it began years ago when I read Michael Pollan’s seminal book The Omnivores Dilemma. It planted a seed that’s been germinating ever since. Over the last several years I’ve visited organic farms and pastures. I’ve met and photographed dozens of hard working entrepreneurs looking to change the food system. They all have their reason’s for doing what they do: lifestyle, business opportunities, seeking social and environmental change. Whatever the reason, the one thing they have in common is they are producing food and products that are healthier for humans and the planet.

I believe there is an essential shift that needs to happen in order for us to break the cycle of faster and cheaper (read worse tasting and less healthy) food. You may not ultimately Know Your Farmer, but I hope to introduce you to some of the people that will change the way we produce and consume our food.

I had the pleasure of taking over the Wonderful Machine Instagram account for 3 days last week. I used the opportunity to feature some of my favorite and lesser known San Diego landmarks. I ended up posting about 36 images. Below are several of my favorites. To check out all the images visit the Wonderful Machine Instagram stream. To explore futher follow me on Instagram - @feriiiphoto

The southwestern most point in the continental United States. The western end of the US Mexico border fence. Great surf that day, BTW...

Chicano Park under the iconic Coronado Bay Bridge is one of my favorite under appreciated San Diego locales. This year the city officially recognized it as a skate park too.

Workers prep for the impending Apocalypse - adding mulch to the cliffs at Swami's to reduce erosion. SoCal is in a state of panic as we prepare for the potential of the greatest El Niño in the history of history this winter.

Sitting along the coast at the Northern most point of San Diego County just before the sprawl of The OC is the recently decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant. Current negotiations center on who should pay for the shut down and where the spent fuel rods should be stored. It's an icon on the I-5 drive between San Diego and LA.

Progress, always progress. In all my years in San Diego construction cranes have always been a fixture of the downtown skyline. The only exception to that was the first few years of the "Great Recession". All those cranes seemed to disappear one night in early 2009. But as the economy has come roaring back, so has the progress….

Suburbia

Desert Bound - Hwy 78

The Mt Soledad cross sits atop the highest point in the posh San Diego neighborhood of La Jolla. The cross itself has undergone 2 "resurrections" and most recently a restoration. There have been 3 different crosses on the location since the original was built I 1909. The current cross is embroiled in constant litigation as it sits on federal land, formerly city owned. Opponents argue for its removal based on the separation of Church and State. A Korean War Memorial was built directly under the cross as a way of appeasement. But numerous courts have ruled for its removal. At last check, the cross still stands…

The quintessential late night drive-thru fast food in San Diego is Roberto's or one of his "cousin's" joints. First opened in 1964 in San Ysidro Roberto's is a culinary icon in SD. Too many imitators to name have spun off all ending in `bertos. Albertos, Alibertos, Filibertos, Aibertos, Gualbertos, Jilbertos, Hilbertos, Adalbertos, Roybertos, Rambertos, Hambertos, Humbertos, Rubertos, and Rolbertos, and my personal fav, Juan Bertos. Open 24 hours - who amongst us hasn't made the late night stop (read drunken) for a wet bean and cheese burrito or 5 rolled tacos w guacamole at least once. This Robertos is in OB, my favorite little beach community.

At the east end of the Waipio Valley, along a mile long stretch of black sand beach, at the base of a 1500 foot cliff, with waterfalls spilling into the ocean, in the late afternoon, the light is just so... it's the perfect time and space for a Rogo family portrait.

I recently toured Pa Ka Makani Farm in Hawaii. My friends Anne and Andrew Strawbridge have created something special on The Big Island. Kudos to them for acting as great stewards of the earth by envisioning this sustainably designed and built slice of paradise.